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MGM Resorts International finds growth of digital-based entertainment options spurs longing for more live entertainment

NEW YORK – March 6, 2018 – While entertainment is typically viewed as filling a “leisure-time” role in people’s lives, a new global research study reveals that many consider it significantly more fundamental to their identities and welfare than is commonly believed.

The study, commissioned by MGM Resorts International and called the “Truth About Entertainment,” found that more than 90% of respondents in the U.S. and China, and more than 80% in Japan, see entertainment as a fundamental contributor to their health and happiness. Additionally, an equal percentage in each of the three countries reported they could not imagine their lives without their favorite books, music, films, bands and sports.

The survey also found surprising attitudes about the role of live entertainment relative to the explosive growth of digital-based and streaming entertainment options. MGM Resorts, one of the leading global entertainment companies providing world-class live and theatrical programming, commissioned the study to better understand current entertainment consumption trends.

“One of the things we discovered, which frankly surprised us, is that the growth of digital content is not replacing people’s desire for live entertainment, and is unexpectedly spurring more of a desire for a balanced diet of live and online entertainment experiences,” said Lilian Tomovich, Chief Experience & Marketing Officer for MGM Resorts International.

Key findings in the “Truth About Entertainment” study:

76% say that entertainment has influenced the person they are today, while 62% say entertainment has influenced their choice of partner.

Two-thirds of American respondents (and a little more than half in both China and Japan) said they would be willing to get rid of all online entertainment – whether Netflix, Spotify, YouTube or others – to preserve the opportunity to experience live entertainment.

About 80% in China and 60% in the U.S. said the more time they spent with a screen, the more they craved live entertainment. Even among technology-savvy millennials, there was such a thing as digital overload. Among this younger demographic, over 80% of respondents in China, 75% in the U.S. and 57% in Japan said the more time they spent getting entertainment through a screen, the more they craved live experiences.

However, despite their interest in experiencing live entertainment, people in all three countries reported they did not attend as much as they desired, for a variety of reasons. More than half of people in China and about 40% each in Japan and the U.S. said they could not remember the last time they had gone to a live show.

Moreover, while the vast majority of people said they saw entertainment as essential (more than 80% in both the U.S. and China and about 70% in Japan said that “without entertainment in my life, I wouldn’t be me”), they were not able to make time for it. Half of U.S. respondents pointed to a lack of time and too many responsibilities, and the numbers were even higher in Asia (59% in Japan; 55% in China). Free time was instead viewed as an opportunity to catch up on errands (62% US; 71% China; 73% Japan) and a sizable minority said they felt guilty when they had too much fun (36% China; 28% Japan; 23% U.S.).

MGM Resorts’ advertising and marketing agency McCann Worldgroup conducted the study via its global intelligence unit, McCann Truth Central. The survey was based on 6,000 respondents, about a third each in China, Japan and the U.S. (where the sampling was supplemented by mobile ethnographies in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and Houston).

About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 28 unique hotel offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company opened MGM Cotai in Macau in February 2018. It is also developing MGM Springfield in Massachusetts and debuting the first international Bellagio branded hotel in Shanghai. The 78,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.

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